Central Children’s Theatre

Abstract

From its inception in 1936 as the official state theatre for children and youth, the Central Children’s Theatre’ became one of the most important theatres for children in the nation. Especially in the 1950s, under the direction of Knebel and Efros, the theatre was immensely popular, even more so than the adult theatres (Kolosova, pers. intv.; see also chapter 3). In the 1960s and 70s it remained officially the foremost theatre for children and youth. Although the propagandistic 1978 publication V Sovetskom Teatre, devoted to children’s theatre, opened with Briantsev’s principles, the exemplary theatre under discussion is the Central Children’s Theatre. It was one of the best known theatres for young audiences in the Soviet Union, and one of the most consistent troupes, but it could not escape the fate of the tiuzes in general: the unprestigious “tiuzovskie” reputation, the empty houses, the demoralization of actors, and the lack of incoming young actors.